Yemeni Condemnation of Houthi Coup against ‘Mufti’

Riyadh, Jeddah- Yemen’s government said on Tuesday a Houthi decision taken two days ago to establish a so-called new Dar al-Fatwa and appoint a new rebel mufti, who studied and grew up in the religious academies of Qom and Tehran, reveals that the plan of insurgents in Yemen has sectarian and racial grounds.

On Monday night, the so-called Houthi political council appointed Shams al-Din Mohammad Sharaf al-Din as the Mufti of Yemen instead of Judge Mohammed bin Ismail al-Omrani.

Yemeni Minister of Endowments or Awqaf Ahmed Attiyah told Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision is a further step in the bad records of Houthis and Saleh rebels.

The Yemeni minister said: “We had preferred that the religious institutions stay away from this conflict. We thought the coup was political and military. But through this decision, they have also hurt the religion and legitimate institutions.”

Attiyah also warned that the new appointment would pave way for other fatwas that could spill blood and money based on sectarian grounds.

The minister accused Iran of interfering in Yemen’s Sharia law. “We, at the Awqaf ministry, have a general mufti and a Dar al-Fatwa, therefore, we do not recognize this new rebellious authority.”

Attiyah said the Yemeni Awqaf ministry fully rejects the Houthi decision, which the minister described as being “part of the coup and unconstitutional.”

He told the newspaper that according to the constitution, the president has the sole right to form a new Fatwa authority.

“The new mufti studied in Qom and Tehran, and he was raised in the auspices of Iranian mullahs,” Attiyah said.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government confirmed that the Socotra Island would remain under Yemen’s sovereignty, denying rumors spread by Houthi media outlets about leasing the island to the UAE.